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Sup. Let’s do something silly today.
This Is March: What if CFB had a 68-team tourney?
College basketball’s Selection Sunday is … Sunday. That means it’s time for an exercise: pretending the committee is putting together a Division I football tournament instead.
I do this every year, but can never remember the prior year’s method. Here’s last year’s, if you want to check. (I didn’t.) This time:
I included every team that won a DI conference, got a vote in the final AP Top 25 or appeared in the FCS quarterfinals. From there, I let a blend of the AP, the final FCS poll and various computer ratings rank those 39 teams (plus 29 at-larges), then complained about how low the FCS teams were.
With teams ranked Nos. 1-68, I followed the NCAA’s S-curve model (No. 1 overall seed Indiana’s region gets the lowest-ranked No. 2 seed, etc.) while also trying to avoid opening-round rematches or lower seeds getting advantageous geography.
You can tap to zoom, but we’ll also go through each region below. No, Big Ten, you did not get 18 auto-bids. (I adapted this bracket from our website by ruining it in Paintbrush. Printable men’s and women’s brackets, for those who like filling in by hand on Sunday.)
We have an Indianapolis region, which means the Hoosiers get to host in their home state. Does this setup mean all of these games happen in Indy, or just the final rounds? I dunno, the format changes every year. Call me the BCS.
Maybe first-round games are hosted by higher seeds. Maybe middle rounds happen at lower-tier bowl games. But this time, the funniest version is each region happening entirely in one city. Alabama hosts UC Davis on an Indianapolis high school football field at noon.
(Yes, the 7-6 Nittany Lions have a decent seed. Some computer ratings would’ve ranked them way higher, actually.)
Next, in Phoenix, overall No. 4 seed Oregon winds up with friendly-ish geography, having been to the Fiesta Bowl four times. So many culture clashes in this group. Duke will somehow win it, despite losing four times in a single-elimination tournament.
After this part of the bracket, we’ll examine some serious stories written by professional grownups, then get back to nonsense.
Quick Snaps
📈 It’s coach-ranking time for Stewart Mandel and Bruce Feldman. Yep, Curt Cignetti vaulted to a unanimous No. 1 after ranking in the teens on both their 2025 lists.
Biggest contention in the comments under Stew’s top-25 list: Kalen DeBoer at No. 5. Going 20-8 at Alabama feels like going 8-20, but his NAIA dynasty and Washington turnaround are still evidence of his capability. No. 2 recruiting class, FWIW.
Bruce’s top 25 has DeBoer at No. 4 (!), with Mario Cristobal at No. 5. Clock-management jokes aside, was Miami not a play away from a title? I’m glad nobody asks me to rank 25 coaches. I can just summarize other people’s lists as if they’re equally correct.
Your turn. Tell us FBS’ five best current coaches. After the obligatory Cignetti/Smart/Day trio, I went with Kyle Whittingham and Matt Campbell. Not ranking 20 more, though.
📰 News:
“Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss said in a court filing Thursday that the uncertainty surrounding his NCAA eligibility cost him a shot at being on the cover of EA Sports’ college football video game.”
“Chris Partridge, an assistant coach who was fired by Michigan weeks before the Wolverines won the 2023 national championship, is suing the university … alleging he was a ‘scapegoat.’”
“NCAA will continue tampering investigations despite Big Ten’s request for moratorium.”
NIL’s new governing body is facing “unexpected challenges due to a surge of school-affiliated deals that may not comply with the rules.” My friend, how was that unexpected?
Conference USA-winning head coach Jerry Mack celebrates his best Kennesaw State players earning portal paydays elsewhere. Embracing reality.
CUSA released a 2026 schedule … that includes Louisiana Tech, which is trying to leave for the Sun Belt this year. Double-booked?
📚 That headline about the SEC considering its own rulebook wasn’t about the conference wanting rampant chicanery or building its own playoff or whatever. Really, it’s about the NCAA barely being real.
🦬 Just five players remain on Colorado’s roster from the 2024 team led by Heisman-winner Travis Hunter. And that’s just the beginning of the changes Deion Sanders faces.
💰 “Sacramento State now has a pathway … to play for a national championship.” You already did! In FCS! The level where you were only somewhat decent! Sorry, I’m yelling again. More here on the money of the Hornets’ FBS leap.
Say something nice about Sac State: Did you know director Ryan Coogler (“Black Panther,” “Sinners”) played wide receiver there?
📬 Mandel’s Mailbag is on Dan Lanning’s ceiling, which football schools are actually basketball schools and more.
This Is Still March: More football madness
Back to the bracket. In Atlanta, overall No. 2 Miami could get early revenge on Louisville, a rematch the committee had a hard time avoiding despite looking at that part of the spreadsheet for at least 10 seconds. The winner of this group will certainly be Illinois State, the team that won an unprecedented four road games in the FCS playoffs.
Iowa State’s appearance in this next region means it’s time to clarify: These teams get their 2025 rosters and coaching staffs. Otherwise, the Cyclones’ 2025 starting lineup would mostly now be playing for Penn State.
Ole Miss vs. Georgia, Round 3. Even the most rematch-hating among us would be seated on time for that.
I would ask who ya got winning the whole thing, but we’d all just pick Indiana. After all, football is the sport where the Hoosiers actually win brackets. Still, email me at untilsaturday@theathletic.com, if you want.
Bracket Watch for actual basketball:
That’s a wrap. In response to Tuesday’s poll on whether Lane Kiffin will ever win a national title at LSU, a resounding 73.1 percent of Until Saturday readers said he won’t.
I’m sure Kiffin disdain was a factor. But 3:1 odds are probably more than fair to him. The average tenure among FBS head coaches is about four years, and there are more than four programs whose championship potential is on par with LSU’s.
It’s a topic because this was the most championship-or-bust hire since … I dunno, Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M? (Nah, even more than that.) It’ll remain a topic for 10 months at very least.
